Still going strong after four decades

Irish music legends Foster and Allen are celebrating 40 years together and Tony Allen has revealed the secret of their longevity.

The duo formed in 1975 and have gone on record an incredible 70 albums, with sales of over 22 million, as many of their contemporaries have vanished from public view.

Tony said: “A lot of bands spend a lot of time together and that can cause a problem as no matter how well you get on eventually you can be sick of the sight of someone.

“Happily Mick and I are still great friends to this day because we spent so much time apart, we are together on tour or in the recording studio, but as soon as we are home we might not see each other for a few months.

“It’s amazing to think we’ve reached our 40th year as a duo, you wonder where the time goes, but life is probably more enjoyable now than it’s ever been.”

Foster and Allen are currently in South Africa before embarking on a tour of Scotland which arrives at Motherwell Concert Hall on Friday, April 24 at 7.30pm.

Tony says deciding on a set list from 40 years of material isn’t too challenging.

He said: “We have recorded something like 1200/1300 songs during our career so there is plenty to choose from,

“However, we pretty much know which songs the audience wants to hear and most of the time that avoids the need for requests.”

To mark their 40th year Foster and Allen have released new album Gold & Silver Days.

Tony said: “We are really pleased it with and it was great to work with the likes of Alfie Boe, The Chieftains and Shayne Ward.

“We always ask the record company in November/December what they’re looking for so we can release in February/March and it gives us the time to get it right.”